Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts

These Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts are UNREAL. Unreal. The inside is soft, tender and cakey; and the outside is crispy with a classic sweet glaze. Just like the kind you get at the donut shop!

And they weren’t that difficult! They are easier to mix than cake. They spend a little time in the refrigerator and then you cut them out like cookies. Then they hang out a little longer in the refrigerator. Then in under 2 minutes, you have perfect old-fashioned donuts! It’s kind of dangerous now that I know that they are this easy.

I smell trouble.

Oh no…that’s just fryer oil heating up…

Some people have a fear of flying, but I have a fear of frying.

Which, when you think about it, is a way more rational fear. Mkay? [This is where you smile and nod.]

Until culinary school I had never fried anything.

In culinary school I managed to fry only 3 things: beignets, churros, and brioche donuts. All on the same day; all to varying degrees of doneness. Lovely.

At work the guys on the line found watching me fry stuff so comical that I seriously considered selling tickets to the show. The first time I fried Brussels sprout leaves I damn near fainted. And you could probably hear their laughter in the dining room.

So these old-fashioned donuts are a big deal.

I’m kind of “meh” on yeast-raised donuts. I don’t get it. I probably never will.
But cake donuts fill my soul and stomach with happiness.

There is only one kind of cake donut that will do. It’s not baked; it’s fried. Legit fried.

Because do you know what a baked donut is? It’s CAKE, people! Cake in a donut shape. And there ain’t nothin’ special about that.

So when Allie (from Baking a Moment) and Zainab (from Blahnik Baker) proposed donuts as the theme for Catey’s virtual baby shower, I knew what I had to do…Perfect Old-fashioned sour cream cake donuts.

I will face my fear of frying because nothing short of perfect will do for Catey’s perfect baby girl.

I first met Catey, from Chez CateyLou, several months after I moved to NYC last year. Catey and I hit it off immediately. Sometimes in life you meet someone who is so similar to you that it feels like you have known each other for years. That is how I felt when I met Catey.

When she told me over a delicious dinner of Greek food that she was pregnant, I couldn’t have been more elated! She is a genuinely beautiful person inside and out and I cannot wait to meet her gorgeous baby girl. Catey, I am so happy for you!

So happy I fried. Too much? Sorry.

Make sure you check out all the other amazing donuts that were made in Catey’s honor.

Some keys to donut success:

Keep the dough cold. Roll and cut it quickly to keep the baking powder from starting to react with the sour cream. Double acting baking powder will react again when fried, but let’s save all the expansion power for later, shall we.

Use canola oil or some other neutral tasting oil that has a high smoke point.

Monitor your oil temperature. 340° F is too cold – I don’t care what ChefSteps says; it’s too damn cold. Your donuts will be greasy. 380° F is too damn hot. The outside will be dark and awful while the inside is still gooey. Umm gross. 350°-360° F is your target range. Adjust your heat as it approaches the boundaries. Don’t be afraid to turn off the stove. This is the great thing about frying. If the oil temperature isn’t where you want it, just wait. So liberating.

Do be careful. The oil looks so happy and peaceful in there, but I can assure you that 350° F oil is VERY hot. I have the scars from work to prove it. Carefully use the slotted spoon to place the donut in the oil and to remove it. I gently drop it in the oil with my hand so that it slips inside, but I have been trained to have no fear. And the burns to prove it….

May I remind you that oil and water do not mix. When water gets into hot oil, it splatters violently. If this happens, back away. Quickly. This is easily avoidable if you dry all your utensils after rinsing them off. If there is any water collected on the top of your dough, which there shouldn’t be if you properly wrapped them, then blot it off before putting it in the oil.

Place your fried donuts on a wire rack over a baking sheet or towels to catch the extra oil. This will keep the bottoms crispy. There will be no soggy bottoms on our donuts!

Dip the donuts in the glaze while they are still warm so you don’t need to heat up your glaze. People say to use chopsticks. Come on. Isn’t life hard enough? Just use your fingers. It’ll toughen them up. It’s good for you. My Dad taught me that.

These Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts perfect. The inside is soft, tender and cakey; and the outside is crispy with a classic sweet glaze. Just like the ones you get from the donut shop!

Ingredients

For the Donuts:

240 g Granulated sugar (1 ¼ cups)

36 g butter ( 2.5 tablespoons)

90 g egg yolks (about 5 large yolks)

380 g sour cream (1 ½ cups)

600 g pastry flour, All-Purpose flour is fine ( 4 ¾ cups)

15 g baking powder (1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon)

12 g kosher salt (1 tablespoon)

96 fl oz Oil for frying (I used canola)

For the Glaze:

100 g whole milk (100ML)

4 g kosher salt (1 teaspoon)

400 g powdered sugar (3 ¼ cups)

Instructions

To Make the Donut Dough:

In a large bowl sift together the pastry flour and baking powder. Whisk in the salt to distribute. Set aside.

Line a large mixing bowl with plastic wrap and then spray the surface of the plastic wrap. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the granulated sugar, butter, and yolks on high speed until the mixture lightens and the volume increases, about 2 minutes.

Stop the mixer and add the sour cream, then mix on medium until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.

With the stand mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the bowl a large spoonful at a time. Add the next spoonful when you only see a few large streaks of flour left in the bowl. Stop the mixer when the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. You want to do this as quickly as possible so that not too much gluten develops, which will make tunnels in your cake and it will be tough.

Transfer the dough to the plastic wrap lined bowl, spray the top of the dough with nonstick spray and then fold the edges of the plastic over the top to cover.

Refrigerate for 60 minutes. At this point the dough can be held in the fridge for up to 1 week.

To Cut & Fry:

Line a baking half-sheet pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with nonstick spray and set aside.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour. While the dough is still in the bowl dust the top of the dough with flour. Turn the dough out onto your floured work surface, floured side down. Lightly dust the top with more flour.

Working quickly to keep the dough cool, roll out the dough to ½ inch thick.

Brush any excess flour from the top of the dough. Use a 3-inch and 1 ¼ - inch ring cutters to cut the donuts and holes. Lightly tap the rings in flour before cutting each donut. Place the donuts and donut holes on the prepared sheet pan. [After I cut all my donuts, I went back and cut more “holes” with the small cutter from the scraps of dough. Waste not, want not!]

Cover sheet pan with plastic wrap, but be sure not to let the plastic touch the top of the donuts. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. I let mine chill overnight at this step.

While your donuts chill, make the glaze. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, powdered sugar and salt. Cover the glaze with plastic wrap directly on the surface. You can heat up the glaze over a pot of simmering water on the stove if you want it thinner. I dipped my donuts while they were still very hot, so I didn’t need to do this.

Pour oil into a fryer or a Dutch oven, making sure the oil is at least 2 inches deep. Heat your oil to 350° F. Adjust your heat to keep the temperature between 350° - 360° F while frying. You will need a clip-on fry/candy thermometer for this. I heat my oil up to 360° F before adding a batch of donuts because the cold dough will lower the temperature of the fryer oil.

Gently place 3 donuts in the fryer, keep the remaining donuts in the fridge. Once they rise to the surface, cook for 30 seconds and then flip them with a slotted spoon. Fry until the bottom develops a nice golden brown color, about 80 seconds. Flip it again and then fry for another 80 seconds or until the color is a nice even golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack set over a sheet pan or paper towels. Donut holes fry for 30 seconds then flip, then another 60 seconds, then flip, then another 40-60 seconds. They will puff up and be golden brown all over. You can cook them for the same amount of time as the full donuts but they will be a little dry. [Before I fried all of my donuts, I tested one and broke it open to make sure it was cooked. ]

Once the donut is just barely cool enough to handle (I only waited about 20 seconds but I have no feeling left in my fingertips…), dip the donut in the glaze and place back on the wire rack. Dipping a hot donut will give you a nice, even glaze that isn’t too thick or too thin!

Store in an airtight container overnight but they are best consumed the day they are fried…with coffee.

All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Thanks!

Comments

I’m with you on a “baked” donut..it’s a cake!
Now if we can get rid of the other “bastardization” of a pastry the “CRONUT” I’t not a donut..it’s not a croissant. And why fry a laminated dough that has been painstakingly rolled, folded, rolled and folded multitude of times to get a nice buttery layers..? The result is not light buttery airy layers but greasy heavy layers…. OK I’m done and will get down off my soapbox.
By the way is it dounut..or doughnut?
I feel so much better getting all that off my chest thanks for letting me vent….
In any case thanks for a real recipe for a real old fashioned donut.

Wow! I’m sorry, but there are just too many people who want to be spoon fed in life! It’s very clearly showing both types of measurements! OMG! How much more plain can you be?

I have been in chemistry after chemistry after chemistry / (certified pharmacy tech, as well), so I already know how to change from metric to American measures and back again. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if you hadn’t already done it. But really people? The internet is FULL….OVERLOADED even, with conversion websites that all you have to do is plug in a number and choose from the type of measure, and the equivalent in the other measure is right before your eyes, like MAGIC! Wow!

meant to say…you don’t need to post my message. I don’t even expect you to. But I wanted you to know I feel for you that you worked so hard to do this for people and they can’t even open their eyes and SEE. Sometimes it makes me crazy to see how spoiled people act.

LOL Thanks for the recipe though. I’m really anxious to try it. I’ve been craving one of these for a while.
And I guess I need to be more afraid of things. I’ve never been afraid of cooking with gas. It’s much better than electricity. And I do have a tinge of nervousness about hot oil…but not to the extent that I wouldn’t do it!

I too have a fear of frying- so much hot oil just waiting to splatter everywhere and sit in my clothes for hours later! But I also firmly believe donuts are best when fried, and these glazed beauties look SO worth it 🙂Medha @ Whisk & Shout recently posted…{One Pot} Vegan + GF Mexican Style Fajita Rice

I really wish this shower wasn’t a surprise so I could have come over and eaten these!! I have never seen a more beautiful donut – seriously! I have such a fear of frying too…you are inspiring me to try it! Thank you so much for celebrating my baby girl. Lindsey!! I am so lucky to have met such awesome friends like you through blogging. xoxoCate | Chez CateyLou recently posted…Chocolate Peanut Butter Heart Cakes

That’s funny because I said the exact same thing to Zainab and Allie! I fully intend to make a chocolate variety, which I will happily bring you! I feel so lucky to have met you! I am so excited for you and I can’t wait to meet your new baby girl! xoxoxo

Oh I get you on the fear of frying! I made fried doughnuts a few weeks ago for the fiance and he loved them, but I was in a cold sweat the whole time! I love the look of these doughnuts so much though I’m willing to face the oil again. Since there’s no yeast they should be easy to make GF (I can’t get yeast and GF to work for me yet!) and then I can feast on their amazingness!Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life recently posted…Lemon Donuts with Raspberry Glaze | Gluten Free

1) Frying is way more scary than flying
2) Where can one purchase these tickets to see you frying at work?
3) Do your colleagues laugh at you frequently? If so, I want to be their friends.
4) When are we getting ramen?
5) Seriously, it’s time for you to grow up and get ramen
6) Bring these donuts with you
7) I’m with ya on the cake vs. yeast thing. Cake for the win.Chris @ Shared Appetite recently posted…Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Donut Breakfast Sandwiches

LOL! You leave the best comments -hands down.
1) Totally. I knew we would agree.
2) Oh heck no! I would like to contain my embarrassment to as few people as possible 🙂
3) Their favorite pastime is laughing at me. And making fun of me in Spanish, which I am learning, much to their added enjoyment. You guys would get along swimmingly.
4) Get yo tush to the City!
5) I was thinking about this just last week. Seriously, though, get yo butt to the city!
6) Maybe. If you’re lucky.
7) Cake – always and forever

Haha – I have a fear of frying too – but I am with Chris @ Shared appetite – am coming to NYC for a long stay in July and I want tickets to this fry-show you speak of!
BTW this Sunday, I woke up early and we went to Krispy Kreme to get a couple of sour cream cake donuts- guess we should have just started driving north instead of krispy kreme eh?!Shashi at RunninSrilankan recently posted…Creamy Kale & Popcorn Shrimp Quinoa Bake

You’re my culinary hero for getting over your fear of frying. Me, I’m still in the clutches of my heated-oil-phobia. Your cake donuts look just as good, if not better, than the ones sold in the store. I’m in total awe of how gorgeous these are!Nancy @ gottagetbaked recently posted…Raspberry Jam Filled Cupcakes for a Chez CateyLou Surprise Baby Shower

lol I have a fear of frying too! But sometimes, for the sake of deliciousness, you have to face your fears 😛 And I’m so glad you did for these donuts, they def look worth it!Kayle (The Cooking Actress) recently posted…Cheesy Turkey Pesto Rolls

Lindsey, I loved you whole post. Your sense of humor is great. I don’t understand why people couldn’t see the standard measures right in front of their nose. However, if anyone is going to seriously bake ( and to even though their fried donuts are still considered baked goods,) they need to learn that pastry/baking is not about recipes but about formulas. The sooner you learn how to measure all of your ingredients by weight in grams the more successful your baking attempts will be. It also makes doubling or even “halving” a recipe so much easier! Keep up the great work!

Use more bench flour! It takes a lot! Also remember dough sticks to dough, so if there is dough on your hands or the counter then it will stick even more. Try not to work the flour into the dough, just use it on the surface and then brush off the excess. Happy frying!

Hi Bill, It is absolutely essential that you chill the dough. It is like a very thick cake batter. I make large batches at the restaurant and I pull out a large piece of plastic wrap, cover it in flour (like enough to coat the plastic), scoop out the dough with a bowl scraper onto the floured plastic, cover the top in flour, wrap it, press it flatter, then chill it until firm. It isn’t a sexy process and the dough gets on anything it touches that isn’t floured, but I promise you it works. You just have to power through it! I wouldn’t worry about using too much flour as long as you brush off excess after you cut it. The excess flour will dirty your fryer oil faster and it will affect the taste of the donuts eventually. Good luck! ps- humidity has everything to do with baking! I think generous flouring will do the trick!

I made these gluten free with namaste all purpose flour. I made them into bars and they turned out pretty ok. The texture was a bit dense and they didn’t split until I used a knife to add a split on top. In the future, because they were good enough to make again, I will decrease the flour for a “wetter” dough. Also, I think this recipe counts on simple flavors, but gf flours do not bring much flavor to the party. I will add a bit a fresh nutmeg to add more dimension to the taste. I took a picture but I don’t know how to share it.

Wow props to you, Kate, for making donuts gluten free! I’ve heard Bob’s Red Mill makes a great gluten free AP flour, you could also try switching up your brands. I’m not sure what you mean by “bars” but if you mean you made them square instead of round that is fine but the reason the hole exists in cake donuts is because it gets heat on the inside and outside otherwise it is likely they would burn before the centers were cooked. Thanks for sharing!

Hey, I just made this recipe and followed it EXACTLY. However, the doughnuts came out very chewy and weren’t the dense old fashioned doughnuts I’m used to. Is this normal? I don’t live in a place with high humidity, and its not high altitude. I’m not sure what happened. They look exactly the same as yours, but the texture is Soooo chewy. They’re also cooked completely through.. I’m not really sure what the issue is. Or if that’s just how this recipe turns out? I’ve always had old fashioned doughnuts that were dense and kind of crumbly.. But in a delightful way lol on the plus side, my 13 year sister loves them! 🙂

Hi! They definitely aren’t supposed to be chewy. They are like fried cake. Generally when baked goods come out chewy it is due to the handling of the dough. Once you start to add the wet ingredients and hydrate the gluten, you want to mix as minimally as possible. Also having the appropriate rest times and working with the dough chilled is very important! You might also want to check the date you opened your baking powder because it becomes less active over time. Also check the protein in your flour because if you used a flour that is higher in protein, it will be chewier. Try again! Happy frying!

Nope, I followed the recipe 100% the same. The baking powder was new. I used Gold star flour, but you had said that it was fine to use all purpose flour. The dough was made exactly as you said, and I kept it in the fridge until I put them into the oil. Everything was exactly as your recipe called for. Followed it to the T. They just came out incredibly chewy and gross. Not sure exactly what went wrong. Maybe I’ll try again with actual cake flour.

Hi Krock. I wouldn’t use cake flour because you won’t get enough gluten and I worry they won’t hold together. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and on a large scale for the restaurant, so I know it works. I use pastry flour at home but I use high quality AP Flour at the restaurant and it still makes a very tender cake. If you say you followed the recipe to a T, then I’m not sure what else to suggest. Have a lovely week!

Thank you posting this recipe, as these are my favorite donuts ever! I recently tried to make these for the first time and they didn’t come out properly and decided to try again. I made them exactly as stated in your recipe and even did weight instead of measurements (I recently learned that is the only way to bake). But, both time I’ve tried this the dough is very sticky after mixing all of the ingredients. I am able to get it out of the mixing bowl, but with a slight mess. Should the dough come out of the mixer easily in a ball form or more doughy and sticky? Also, I have a kitchen-aid stand up mixer and am using the paddle attachment to mix everything. Is that correct? I will look forward to hearing from you and hopefully I will figure this out soon so I can enjoy these delicious donuts.

Hi Eric, I don’t think you are doing anything wrong. You definitely want to use the paddle attachment in a kitchenaid stand mixer. The dough is definitely sticky. It will stay together better once it is properly chilled but you need a GENEROUS amount of flour. When I make these in large batches at work I put them on floured plastic wrap, then flour the top, then wrap and chill the dough. Keep trying!!!

Just made these for the first time! They’re so good! Definitely a do again recipe. Surprisingly, at only 16 years old, I’m not afraid of the frying oil! Guess I have that more irrational fear of flying! XD

Hi, Lindsey! I made these over the weekend…twice. The first time I made them, I liked them, but I knew something wasn’t quite right. Then I figured out I hadn’t rolled them out thick enough and so they cooked too long and were a little bit dry and too brown. So the next day I set out to do them again. I also cut the salt in half only because I wanted them a bit sweeter (for my taste) and I added a little vanilla to the glaze, plus made a little extra glaze. I rolled them out to the right thickness and instead of strictly keeping to the frying times I eyeballed it and took them out when they were golden brown, like you said. I double-dipped in the glaze (once after 30 seconds or so after being on the rack and again after another minute). On about 1/3 of them, I dipped in the glaze once and sprinkled generously with cinnamon & sugar. This batch was absolutely perfect and so delicious! I knew the first batch was over cooked. But now that I know what to do, I’ll make these for company. They’re so good! And you’d be proud. I dipped with my fingers. 🙂

Look at you Summer!!! Donuts two days in a row! I am super proud that you dipped with your fingers! Next time you should try substituting the milk with orange juice for an orange glaze! I did a peach juice when peaches were in season. So yummy.

I just made these with my daughter and they were good! I was really worried about putting that much salt in there (a whole Tablespoon!!!). I did cut the salt out of the glaze because of that and they were good…I think they would be too salty with the salt in the glaze (I added 2 TB melted butter to the glaze too). I might even reduce the amount of salt in the dough a touch next time if we make them again, but not by much. Ours weren’t tough at all (we were careful not to over mix and followed the chilling directions). Thanks for the recipe!

I am so glad you found success with this donut recipe, Summer! I know the salt seems like a lot but it really just intensifies the flavors. I make these several times a week at work and people go nuts! I’ll have to try a little butter in the glaze 🙂

OMG you are my newest hero and favorite guilty pleasure. I don’t know if I love the food more or your fun banter!! OK both. I grew up working in restaurants, then managing them, then doing my own food business, so I remember my first Mexican Restaurant and having to taste all the sauces on the line when doing opening Line Checks and them all waiting for the Gringo to burn his tongue! I got my love and affinity for spices though from that time, so even the pain points cause great growth, as does your frying challenges! Look what you just did! So good!

Hey, I took 3 Basil leaves on my second iteration of your delicious recipe, crudely diced it and put it in the cake mix, before fridge and then frying next day, as well as some chiffonade of two more leaves, the quickly cross-diced to make a little shorter strands, and turned into the glaze. I’m telling you the herb with the recipe was a super fun and fresh twist, oh and a tsp of lemon zest in the glaze as well, with the Basil…AMAYYYYY-ZING. Thank yo for your inspiration, I wish I was your friend! Take care of course and happy baking!

Hi Scott!! That is such a familiar scenario that you paint! I don’t think any industry pushes you as much physically as mentally as cooking does. I would love to hear more about your experiences. That sounds delicious! Basil and lemon would be an amazing addition! Plus fried basil is everything 🙂 Right now I have a daily donut special on the menu at the restaurant and maybe I’ll have to take inspiration from your inspiration and move in a savory direction. Happy baking!

Hi Bill, It is absolutely essential that you chill the dough. It is like a very thick cake batter. I make large batches at the restaurant and I pull out a large piece of plastic wrap, cover it in flour (like enough to coat the plastic), scoop out the dough with a bowl scraper onto the floured plastic, cover the top in flour, wrap it, press it flatter, then chill it until firm. It isn’t a sexy process and the dough gets on anything it touches that isn’t floured, but I promise you it works. You just have to power through it! I wouldn’t worry about using too much flour as long as you brush off excess after you cut it. The excess flour will dirty your fryer oil faster and it will affect the taste of the donuts eventually. Good luck! ps- humidity has everything to do with baking! I think generous flouring will do the trick!

Can’t wait to try these. Have one negative comment, you converted all the measurements to cups and spoons except the milk, 100g milk or 100ML…what in heaven’s name is 100ML? Why convert everything else to cups but not the milk? Before I can try this recipe, I’ll have to google 100ML to find out how many cups and or spoons that is!

This recipe sounds wonderful except for rhe measurements. Just noticed the website is American heritage cooking. Well in America we use cups and spoons not grams. So WHY is the first measurement in grams on the AMERICAN heritage cooking site? Why was the milk converted to 100ML. Where in America do they use ML instead of cups, pints or quarts? The measurements didn’t bother me (except for the 100g milk being converted into 100ML) at first because I figured it was a European site but noticed later that it’s AMERICAN so use American measurements!

Hi Blanche, As a professional baker, I use grams because they are more accurate. If you would like to use volumetric measurements, that is your choice. If you have a liquid cup measure, it will have mL on the other side. They are in smaller increments, so, again, more accurate.

I made these for my family and thought “How are we going to eat all of these?” and then after they were gone in 10 minutes I made a mental note to double the batch next time. Which brings me to my next essential question.

If a person wanted to, say, make this a blueberry old fashioned donut, would frozen/thawed blueberries be ok? Wondering if the excess liquid from the berries is a problem. How do pro-bakers pull this off?

Hahah! I Know the feeling, Cheryl! These would be delicious as blueberry! If you use thawed blueberries they will bleed into the batter. If that doesn’t bother you, then you can definitely use that! If it does then use fresh blueberries or still frozen berries. There really is no way to avoid that little bit of sogginess next to the berries because of the added moisture, but I think most people expect that. You could use freeze dried blueberries if you want. Good luck! I think I’ll have to try some donuts with fresh berries soon!

Hi Ella, What does the dough feel like? Are you able to cut it? Also I recently posted a YouTube video on making these cake donuts. You can also watch it and see if there is something different about what you did.

Thank you for this delicious recipe. I got over my fear of frying when we bought an electric fryer. They have been drastically improved since I last used one. (decades)lol Just remember to not cover it while your heating. Scorched oil not only tastes terrible, it’s the fuel that starts the fire when you lift the lid and quickly force the last requirement for a fire…oxygen. Otherwise, set the temp, double check with candy thermometer $4 at corner store) and theonly reason I use chop sticks is to prevent dents/finger marks. I love that perfect looking donut! Plus, their free and require no clean up. Happy frying my fellow donut lovers!

I tried these since my wife often ask me to stop by the donut shop and get her a couple and she says they are even better. Thanks for the Cup & Spoon translation since that’s still what we’re used to in Canada. I did’nt have quite enough sour cream so I used a 100gr of vanilla yogourt wich turn out fine. I got over 2 dozens with this recipe, don’t understand how come and the friyng turned out as well with the instructions so I kept a dozen uncooked in the freezer(put parchemin paper in between layers) and fried those few days later and they also were very nice in texture.

I made this recipe exactly as you wrote it and they were little salt bombs! I hope you don’t make them with that much salt at the restaurant!! First your conversion of the salt is wrong. 12g is about 2 1/2 teaspoons not a tablespoon. Even that is s but high but might enhance the flavor as you stated, but a whole tablespoon is CRAZY!! Are you tastebuds dulled? A smoker maybe? I saw you in Chopped and your dish was too sweet there…talk to a doctor…looking for a new recipe and a new blog to follow. Not imoressed with your content here, OR you in tv…

Hi Jean, your comment is very rude. Be sure you use KOSHER salt. The grain is coarser and thus won’t fit as much in a tablespoon. Yes, I use this exact recipe for some of the donuts I make in restaurant and zero people have complained, in fact quite the opposite. Your conversion of the salt tells me that you used table salt which would make this incredibly salty because the granules are finer.

As for Chopped, you try making a dish with 40 cameras in front of you out of 4 random ingredients, half of which are sweet, in 20 minutes and you let me know how that goes.

You can delete my comments if you like. No skin off my back…but in response…Several people in this thread complained about the salt. And I’m the only one who’s wrong??? I used KOSHER salt, just probably picked ‘salt’ on the conversion table.

Furthermore, as for chopped, it wasn’t your food that I was so unimpressed with. I don’t even remember what you made, just that it was too sweet. What I was unimpressed with was you personally! You have a very arrogant personality, saying how awesome you are and several other arrogant comments. You proved it again here. Telling me what an idiot I am and how you’re absolutely right because you know it all. No, your words don’t say that but your attitude behind them does. I wish you all the best, but as I said I’m moving on because there’s nothing to be impressed with here…

And, my comment is a bit snarky, but you and your “holier than though’’ attitude is what’s rude. You think you’re too good for everyone, especially your readers and too ‘awesome’ to be questioned by them…if you’re going to write a blog that has readers, learn to take some flack!

Unlike some other blogs I only delete comments if they include profanity because I believe in free speech which says more about the person who wrote it and less about the subject. I have been writing the blog for eight years so I know a little bit about taking negative comments in a stride. If you actually bothered to follow my blog or read any other posts and their comments you would know that I have adjusted recipe errors that readers have caught. I know my salt scaling is right because I bake professionally every single day. It’s not arrogance it is hard won knowledge. Some other peoples comments about salt are in the glaze, which is fair. I like to balance the sweetness of 10x with salt. It is my preference. I have no such holier than thou attitude neither here nor on the show. Perhaps you have confused me with another contestant. If you recall I was the first to say that I felt I might be going home and was worried about the judges comments.

As for this space, I try to offer answers to people comments, questions and concerns regardless of how right they feel they are or how they choose to address me. If you want to read some negative comments and people getting angry because their own knowledge or opinions differ from mine, you should read this post’s comments. I’m still here because I want to share with people and help people see that nothing is out of their grasp in their home kitchen. You don’t know me.

Why are you continuing to reply to this troll’s comments? Obviously “Jean” could never do what you do, let alone be asked to be on Chopped. Faceless, anonymous comments trying to bring others down; that’s what’s wrong with comment/message boards.

You continue to do you and help people with your insights and thoughtfulness.

I tried this recipe yesterday. They looked amazing and I was so excited to eat them, but the only flavor we could taste was canola oil. I’m sure this is my fault. The changes I did to the recipe were – I used light sour cream since that’s all I had at the time. I had the temp between 350-360 and the donuts weren’t brown at all using your timing. So I kept them frying longer. I set them on a wire rack for 20 seconds and then glazed them like you instructed. Do you think it was the extra time in the fryer that ruined the donuts? Should I have used a different type of oil?

Hi Madelyn, I’m so sad for you (and your donuts). I am sure the light sour cream was a perfectly fine substitute and that was certainly not the problem. It does sound like your temperature and fry times were the problem. If your oil is too hot then the outside will burn and the inside will be raw, but if you oil is too cold then the donut will absorb too much oil before it is cooked through and you will get an oily donut. If you do a tester donut and it isn’t cooking in the right time, turn up your temp. I fry in canola oil both at home and at the restaurant, so that’s not the problem. I also assume your oil was clean, because dirty oil will also impart a flavor. You might also look to your candy/fry thermometer as the culprit. If the red line is broken at any point then it is sadly worthless. You can test it in boiling water and see if it reads 212F. At the restaurant I have a fryer that holds temp and I set it at 355F and its good. Your instincts were spot on!

Hi Becky, The cracks happen naturally when they fry. Generally they are more cracked on the side that is initially down in the oil. If you overwork the dough, they won’t crack as much. Each one cracks differently and to a different degree. Check your oil temperature and make sure it isn’t too cold. IF the donut is cold and the oil is right around 350, they will crack. Unless maybe your baking powder is old and not reactive? Are they puffing at all? Best, Lindsey

Hooray! And now we’ve found the issue. Yes, they need to be cold! After cutting, put them back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and then you will get nice cracked donuts. If you are frying in batches, put the donuts waiting to be fried back in the fridge while you fry and dip the others. Happy frying!

not 1 : 1 because buttermilk is more liquid and hydrates differently plus has a different fat content. You could try to add it gradually until you get the same consistency of dough but I feel thats asking for trouble. I’ve substituted other liquids for a portion of the sour cream or I have used creme fraiche when I ran out of sour cream but never just buttermilk. Good luck!

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I’m overjoyed that you have stopped by! This blog combines my passions for cooking, baking, recipe development, cookbooks, and American history. I post a smorgasbord of heirloom and heritage recipes, my personal creations, and modern recipes that are just too good not to share!